Adolescent boys: who cares?

Abstract

This editorial comments on another article in this issue of the Bulletin about adverse events after traditional male circumcision. (See “Male circumcision for HIV prevention: a prospective study of complications in clinical and traditional settings in Bungoma Kenya” below.) The editorial’s authors find it surprising that despite significant morbidity among adolescents and young men so little attention has been paid to the complications of traditional male circumcision by most organizations. They go on to say that in addition to improving adolescent boys’ access to safe male circumcision services when these are provided within a traditional context we must also carefully regulate the providers in the formal health-care system to ensure that they are adequately trained and have the equipment and supplies to perform male circumcision safely and effectively.